updated 11:20 am EST, Fri February 12, 2010

40MP back features capture rate under 0.8 second

Leaf has introduced a new medium-format camera back to the Aptus-II line, the Aptus-II 8. The camera back features a 40-megapixel resolution (7360x5562 pixels) and has a capture rate of under 0.8 seconds per frame, making it capable of a sustainable burst of more than 60 full resolution images per minute. The 1.73x1.3in (44x33mm) CCD has a 12 f-stop dynamic range and an 80-800 ISO sensitivity range. The Aptus-II series are the only medium format camera backs to use touchscreens, in this case a high contrast, 2.36x2.76in LCD.

Image storage and transfer is supported by CF card, FireWire 800, and Bluetooth. The back also uses lossless 16-bit file compression to speed up file transfer. The Aptus-II supports the RAW file format for use with Adobe Lightroom and Apple Aperture image editing software, as well as the choice of tethered shooting to Leaf Capture or Capture One software applications, which are included in the box. The camera back also has onboard file management tools.

The Leaf Aptus-II 8 camera back is priced at 13,995 euros ($19,008) and is now available for orders. [viaDPReview]